Once upon a Dream Read Free Page B

touched her. God, it had been so long since he’d touched a woman, flesh against flesh.
    In dreams he’d had her under him, her body eager. He’d laid his lips on her, and his mind had felt her give and arch, her rise, her fall. And so his body had hungered for her.
    Now she was here, her lovely skin bruised and chilled.
    Now she was here, and didn’t know why. Didn’t know him.
    Despair and desire tangled him in knots.
    â€œLady, who are you?”
    â€œKayleen Brennan.”
    â€œWhere do you come from?”
    â€œBoston.”
    â€œThat’s America?”
    â€œYes.” She smiled. “It is.”
    â€œWhy are you here?”
    â€œI don’t know. Where is here?”
    â€œNowhere. Nowhere at all.”
    She reached out, touched his cheek. “Why are you sad?”
    â€œKayleen.” Overcome, he gripped her hand, pressed his lips to her palm. “Do they send you to me so I might know joy again, only to lose it?”
    â€œWho are ‘they’?”
    He lifted his head, felt the fury burn. So he stepped away and turned to stare into the fire.
    He could send her deeper, into the dreaming place. There she would remember what there was, would know what she knew. And would tell him. But if there was nothing in her, he wouldn’t survive it. Not sane.
    He drew a breath. “I will have my week,” he vowed. “I will have her before it’s done. This I will not cast off. This I will not abjure. You cannot break me with this. Not even with her can you break Flynn.”
    He turned back, steady and resolved again. “The seven days and seven nights are mine, and so is she. What remains here at the last stroke of the last night remains. That is the law. She’s mine now.”
    Thunder blasted like cannon shot. Ignoring it, he walked to the bed. “Wake,” he said, and her eyes opened and cleared. As she pushed herself up, he strode to a massive carved armoire, threw the doors open, and selected a long robe of royal blue velvet.
    â€œThis will suit you. Dress, then come downstairs.” He tossed the robe on the foot of the bed. “You’ll want food.”
    â€œThank you, but—”
    â€œWe’ll talk when you’ve supped.”
    â€œYes, but I want—” She hissed in frustration as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him with a nasty little slam.
    Manners, she thought, weren’t high on the list around here. She dragged a hand through her hair, stunned to find it dry again. Impossible. It had been dripping wet when he’d brought her up here only moments before.
    She combed her fingers through it again, frowning. Obviously she was mistaken. It must have been all but dry. The accident had shaken her up, confused her. That was why she wasn’t remembering things clearly.
    She probably needed to go to a hospital, have X rays taken. Though a hospital seemed silly, really, when she felt fine. In fact, she felt wonderful.
    She lifted her arms experimentally. No aches, no twinges. She poked gingerly at the scrape. Hadn’t it been longer and deeper along her elbow? It was barely tender now.
    Well, she’d been lucky. And now, since she was starving, she’d take the eccentric Flynn up on a meal. After that, her mind was bound to be steadier, and she’d figure out what to do next.
    Satisfied, she tossed the covers back. And let out a muffled squeal. She was stark naked.
    My God, where were her clothes? She remembered, yes, she remembered the way he’d yanked her sweater off, and then he’d…Damn it. She pressed a trembling hand to her temple. Why couldn’t she remember? She’d been frightened, she’d shoved at him, and then…then she’d been wrapped in a blanket, in a room warmed by a blazing fire and he’d told her to get dressed and come down to dinner.
    Well, if she was having blackouts, the hospital was definitely first on the agenda.
    She